


future visitation

by lauraxtennant



Series: Nine/Rose Collection [3]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-01
Packaged: 2018-04-24 06:59:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4909732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lauraxtennant/pseuds/lauraxtennant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Ninth Doctor and Rose meet River Song.</p>
            </blockquote>





	future visitation

They're in a bar on Zuphrox Nine, somewhere he’s taken Rose and Jack to have a nice cool scotch or two after a hard day’s adventuring. Jack drags Rose towards a jukebox to pick out some tunes, and a woman slides onto the stool next to the Doctor’s. 

His eyes remain fixed on Rose Tyler - just to make sure she’s all right, of course, given that she’s a little tipsy after downing that bright pink concoction Jack had bought her. He picks up the tiny embellished umbrella Rose had playfully thrown at him after scooping it out of her drink, and twirls it around, opening and closing it absently as he watches her laugh and -

“Can I get you a drink?” says the woman from beside him, and he turns to her obligingly, giving her a quick and pleasant grin.

“I’m fine, ta.” He nods towards his untouched glass, and returns his gaze to his friends. Jack’s got her dancing, now, never mind the fact that no one else is on the dancefloor. Still, no one seems to mind, or pay them the slightest bit of attention. The Doctor feels a stab of something low under his ribcage, and realises with a pulse of alarm that he’s a little jealous. It’s only been days since Jack came aboard, since that lovely dance in the console room the Doctor had enjoyed with Rose. His eyes narrow on the way Jack pulls her in close.

“I can intercept, if you like,” someone says, and he jumps as he notices the woman with impressive curly hair is still right there next to him.

“Eh?” he asks, dumbfounded.

“Which one is it you’re after?” she replies, her eyes twinkling. “I’ll lure the other away, give you a chance to show them your moves.”

He frowns at her. “That’s not necessary.”

She shrugs, unconcerned. “All right. Then let me buy you a drink and help you forget all about them.”

“It’s not - that’s not - ” He shakes his head, and hearing a bark of Rose’s laughter, his gaze traipses right back over to her of its own accord. 

“Think you need to live a little,” his new acquaintance smirks after a moment. “No good pining your life away. Believe me, I know from experience. Best just to jump right in and ask.”

He lifts his eyebrows, and takes a sip of his drink.

“Don’t ask,” the woman continues knowingly, “Don’t get.” She waits until he looks at her again and then says, “I’m River, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m - ”

“The Doctor. Yes, we’ve met.”

He frowns. “Have we?”

“Not yet, but…”

“Ah.” He nods, understanding. “I take it time travel plays its part in our meeting?”

“Just a bit.” She chuckles. He watches as she looks over his shoulder, and wonders what it is Jack and Rose are doing that’s caught her attention. He swallows, not wanting to look, not wanting to find out.

“She’s not interested,” River concludes. “In him, that is.”

“None of my business who she’s interested in,” the Doctor says rigidly, reluctant to discuss Rose with a perfect stranger.

“She keeps glancing over here.”

“Does she?” He almost turns to see.

“Don’t look!” River hisses. “Play hard to get.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’ll work, trust me. It did with me.”

“ _What?_ ” 

She grins. “Spoilers. Ooh, look, she’s coming over.”

The Doctor, confused and unwilling to delve into her comments in further detail, turns once more from River and finds Rose standing right behind him. “All right?” he asks.

“Mmhmm,” Rose replies, smiling tightly. “Made a friend?”

River holds out her hand, and Rose shakes it, eyeing her suspiciously. He nearly grins.

“Professor Song,” River says. “Nice to meet you.”

“Rose. Rose Tyler,” Rose replies uncertainly, and something flashes in River’s eyes for a moment - something sad. The Doctor, alarmed, wants to know why - but of course, he can’t ask her. Can’t know anything about his future, or Rose’s. Can’t ask her if they -

Can’t know. Not in advance.

Before his thoughts grow more disturbed and maudlin, Rose acquires his complete attention by linking her arm through his and squeezing a bit too tightly. River notices this, too, glancing at the manoeuvre with an arched eyebrow and a wry grin.

Tactfully, she chooses to remark on Jack, rather than Rose’s obvious proprietorial move. “Who’s that handsome rogue you were dancing with?”

He feels Rose’s stance relax slightly. “That’s Captain Jack. I’m sure he’d be more than pleased to meet you.” She glances over at him, sees where he’s dancing solo on the dancefloor, not a care in the world. “Single and ready to mingle, that’s Jack.”

There’s more than a hint to her statement, and River picks up on it right away.

“Well,” she replies, taking the Doctor’s glass and downing the rest of his drink as she stands. “Time I met the fellow, then. Talk to you later.” She smiles at them, and saunters over to Jack.

The Doctor feels Rose loosen her grip on his arm and tries not to smirk at the overt relief on her face. She hops up into River’s former seat and knocks her knee against his in the process. She leaves it there, denim pressed to denim, and looks at him innocently.

“Rose?”

She fiddles with her earring. “Mmm?”

“Any particular reason you’ve vacated the dancefloor?”

Rose shrugs a shoulder. “Fancied a break.”

“Yeah?”

“Yep.”

He leans towards her. “Not because you were jealous, then.”

“What? Why would I be jealous?” 

The Doctor has to give her credit; she looks genuinely surprised at his suggestion.

He shrugs casually, and her eyes squint at him in suspicion.

“Do I have a _reason_ to be jealous?” she asks, changing tact.

He flags down the bartender and requests the same again. Then, slowly, so that her eyes follow the movement, he picks up the cocktail umbrella he’d dropped into his lap when she’d grabbed his arm, and slides it into his pocket.

“Nope,” he finally answers, eyes on hers as he sips at his new drink and gestures for her to do the same. “No reason at all.”


End file.
